Every December, my mother takes a weekend before Christmas to make an outrageous batch of homemade tamales which the family eats for Christmas Eve. This year I helped her with this daunting task because it was time I learned how to make them to carry on the family traditions. We made the traditional spicey pork variety, a green chile and cotija cheese variety, and a sweet variety. Her tamales are in a word, epic! This is one thing I truly look forward to all year. She makes so many of them that she will often give some to friends and I give some to mine as well. They make one hell of a breakfast on Christmas morning with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa. That was one of my own traditions that I started.

At long last, Christmas weekend came. It was Christmas Eve and family and friend’s were gathered at my parent’s house, just like every other year. The collection of wines that would be consumed that evening was phenomenal. Among the collection was the bottle of Riesling Beau gave me, a Dauenhauer Vineyard 2007 Pacific Rim Riesling from Oregon.

This wine comes from Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley. This particular Riesling is considered medium dry and has an abv of 8.6% and 3.9% residual sugar. In the glass it pours a light, but golden straw color. On the nose, I got faint scents of pear and tropical fruits. On the palate, I got huge flavors of white peaches and honey, along with tropical fruits such as pineapple and guava. I also got a lot of hints of apple and some citrus such as lemon on a medium finish. All the flavors along with the crisp acid made this wine very balanced and refreshing. The sweetness of the wine and the vibrant acidity were the perfect compliment to the heat and spiciness of the pork tamales. This wine was so much fun to pair with our traditional Christmas tamales. It was evident that this native Latin American and native German pairing was a hit! This wine would also pair beautifully with spicy Thai or Chinese cuisine or even Indian curries.

Searching for this wine on Google brought up several online retailers that carry the wine for around $22 per bottle. Definitely a great price on a solid Riesling that is very food friendly and a lot of fun to pair with spicy foods. A very special thank you to Beau for giving this wine to me. I typically prefer my Rieslings on the dry side but he introduced me to this sweeter style of Riesling that was a perfect compliment for the tamales. I would like to pair this up with some Indian Curry next time. I definitely recommend this wine and encourage you to experiment with a fun food pairing like I did. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers!

~Monica

In 2011, I tasted many great wines as well as not so great wines, did some travel, met some wonderful new people in the social media wine community, and had a lot of fun, as I usually do! I did get some blogging done but not as much as I had liked. There is so much I want to do, learn, and accomplish this new year. For those who know me well, as well as those who I may not know as well yet, I hope you can keep me accountable for some of these. Without further ado, I give to you what I want to accomplish in 2012, wine-wise:

1) Become a better writer: I’m not saying I’m a horrible writer but there is always room for improvement. As someone once said, in order to become a better writer, you just have to write, and write often. Practice makes perfect. I used to be an excellent writer in my high school and college days and loved doing it. I need to get back to that mode.

2) Write more blog posts: This ties into #1. I’m very lucky to be able to drink so many great wines and not so great (unlucky maybe?) wines. I should be writing more about those wines. I also want to write more about the experiences each particular wine gives as well as any emotions associated with it in addition to reviews and tasting notes. I would also like to do some writing on other wine-related topics. I will have to give that some more thought as to the specific topics I want to explore. I am always open to ideas.

3) More wine-related travel: I have had the opportunity to visit some wine regions in depth such as Napa and various Spanish wine regions. I have plans on re-visiting these places as well as visit new wine regions and learn about the wines they produce. I do have some domestic travel already booked this year however I am aiming to visit France and Spain as well later on in the year. As many of you know I have an affinity for French and Spanish wines (my Spanish side of the family is to blame for that!). I would love to spend some time exploring various French wine-producing regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, as well as others. I am very familiar with some Spanish wine regions but there are many more I would like to explore as well. I am also interested in heading to Australia and New Zealand to sample the amazing wines there and learn about the wine-producing regions there as well as the culture. All of these experiences would be happily documented on my blog, through social media, and pictures of course!

4) Buy More Wine: Yes you read that right! One of the best ways to find great new wines is to taste many new wines. I am never afraid to step out of my comfort zone but I admit, I do not do it often enough. Doing so helps one discover great new wines and expand the palate. In addition, it gives you more opportunities to write even more great blog posts to share the experiences with others.

5) Further my own education: The world of wine is a never ending plethora of learning and information and can be very overwhelming. I want to learn as much as I can through research, books, classes and certifications, hands on learning, learning from those with much more experience…basically learning anyway possible.

There you have it…what I am looking to accomplish wine-wise in 2012. Sounds like a lot but I want to push myself to be a better writer and continue my learning. I am always open to suggestions, advice, help, constructive criticism, and whatever it takes to push myself to be better. I am hoping you all can help keep me accountable for at least the writing part. I am so lucky to have such amazing friends that I have learned from and shared many great bottles of wine with in the past. I look forward to more good times with them this year as well as learning more from them. I am also excited to meet those of you who I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet. I look forward to learning from you all and sharing great wine with you.

Raising my glass to a fabulous 2012 filled with growth, learning, friends, travel, and of course an abundance of great wine!

Salud!

~Monica

This blog post is a continuation in tasting through the latest Mollydooker releases. This post will continue on with the wines of The Lefty collection, which this wine is a part of. The 2010 Two Left Feet, named after Sparky and Sarah’s dancing ability, is a red blend composed of 72% Shiraz, 16% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged in 94% American oak and 6% French oak. In the glass, the wine poured a deep, dark purple color. Swirling the wine in the glass revealed the wine’s long, thick legs. This wine has an abundance of fruit on the nose from plums, to raspberries, and cherries. There is also a touch of vanilla, oak and spice that you get as well. On the palate, the wine is very big and luscious. Flavors of plum, currant, and cherry are predominant, as well as a touch of cocoa powder. This wine is super silky and smooth on the palate and finishes long with a touch of vanilla. This wine comes in at a high 16% alcohol content however there is no heat present that you would normally get from a wine with a higher alcohol content and it is very balanced.

This is a great winter red blend and one that you would enjoy on a cold winter’s night next to a roaring fire like I did. It would make a great pairing for hearty winter stews, beef, pork, or lamb dishes. Don’t forget to do the Mollydooker Shake before enjoying this wine.

Sparky and Sarah hit another home run with this one. I have tasted several of Mollydooker’s wines across several vintages over the last year or so and Two Left Feet has consistently been one of my favorites. I really love this wine and would highly recommend it to you. You can find it on the Mollydooker website for $25 per bottle. To find it closer to where you are, use Wine-Searcher. At around $25 per bottle (depending on where you purchase it), it is definitely a great value on a wonderful winter wine you will want to have on hand. Be sure to check out the Mollydooker website to learn more about all their wines.

Cheers!

~Monica

*This wine was sent as a media sample for review purposes

Thank you all for a wonderful 2011 filled with friends, fun, and much learning. My best wishes to you all for a fabulous, healthy, and prosperous new year. I look forward to seeing many of you in the new year and sharing great bottles of wine with those who I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet. A toast to you all!

Cheers!

~Monica

Their collection is known for their fun, bold wines. The collection is divided into three categories, The Lefty wines, The Party wines, and The Love wines. This blog post marks the first one in a series I will do on their current releases. I will start with the wines of The Lefty collection, followed by the wines of The Party collection, and concluding with the romantic wines of The Love collection.

The first wine up of the Lefty collection is the 2010 Maitre D Cabernet Sauvignon. The first order of business before tasting the wine is the Mollydooker Shake. No, this is not the latest dance move. This is what you want to do in order to prepare the wine to drink. This method is only to be done on Mollydooker red wines under two years of age. This method allows the nitrogen gas that is used to protect the wine from oxygen to be released. Now that I have taken care of business, on to the best part…tasting the wine!

This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. In the glass it pours a deep, dark garnet color. Swirling the wine in the glass reveals the wine’s long, thick legs. Right away you know this wine is going to be a big one. The nose is full of fresh, ripe blueberry, raspberry, spice and coffee notes. Many complex flavors dance on the palate from dark cherry, to black licorice, while getting the barest hint of eucalyptus and oak. The finish is long and there is a wonderful hint of coffee on the finish. This Cabernet comes in at 15.5% alcohol so, yes it is indeed a powerful one, however it is definitely a balanced wine. This wine is perfect for a cold winter’s night where you will definitely want to pair it with hearty fare such as a big juicy New York steak smothered in sauteed mushrooms, which is what I did and it was pure heaven. It will also pair beautifully with lamb dishes or for those of you who happen to love chocolate, this wine also pairs great with it. I also enjoyed that particular pairing very much.

Every Mollydooker wine has its own unique, quirky, label which tells its own story. Sarah used her artistic flair to design the labels of the entire Mollydooker collection The Maitre D Cabernet has a whimsical picture of a Maitre D. This particular label signifies Sparky who put himself through winemaking college as a left-handed Maitre D.

This wine can be purchased directly from the Mollydooker website for $25 per bottle. It was delicious and I enjoyed it very much. I definitely recommend this wine as a delicious winter wine perfect for heavier dishes and hearty winter fare.

Cheers!

~Monica

* This wine was provided as a media sample for review purposes

We listened to winemaker/owner Sparky Marquis speak on the history of Mollydooker wines and the story behind each one. He is extremely entertaining and funny. He had the crowd laughing and entertained all night. We then proceeded to taste the Lefty Reds followed by having an opportunity to make our very own unique blend as you see the lovely KK making in the photo below. Dinner was served and we proceeded to taste the Party wines, followed by the iconic Love wines. It was a wonderful and memorable evening.

Fast forward a few weeks later and I was contacted by Krissy, the Marketing Coordinator for Mollydooker Wines asking me if I would be interested in sampling (again) the new releases and writing about them. I enthusiastically said yes. I love writing about Mollydooker wines. It’s so easy and so much fun to write about them. I look forward in the next couple months to re-tasting my way through their entire 2010 releases as well as tell the story of each individual wine. I will start with the individual wines of the Lefty Red collection, followed by the wines of the Party Wines collection, and conclude with the wines of the Love collection.

Without further ado, I present to you the Mollydooker Wines 2010 collection I will be sampling this winter:

Cheers!

~Monica

*These wines were sent as media samples to review

The premise behind the Stepping Stone Rocks! brand is to create wines that are fun with no traditional rules. Each vintage will produce different blends. The wines are a blend of varietals that are unique that form intriguing combinations. You won’t see on the label what varietals make up the wine. You will however know, once you taste them. They are bold and flavorful.

The Stepping Stone Red Rocks! wine is a Zinfandel and Pinot Noir blend that pours a deep ruby red color in the glass. The aromas are abundant. On the nose, you get plentiful juicy, ripe red raspberries and blackberries. I also got some spice and vanilla notes. This wine reminded me of Christmas in a wine glass and that put a huge smile on my face. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I suspect the Zinfandel has a lot to do with that but Pinot Noir has been known to have that effect on me too!

Juicy red fruit flavors were very palate-pleasing lending to the Zinfandel in the blend along with the subtleness of the vanilla and spice are characteristic of Pinot Noir. The wine is smooth and has a nice long finish. The Zinfandel definitely dominates in the wine. This is definitely a wine that you want to serve with food. This would make a great BBQ wine for burgers or ribs. I had a family gathering the night I opened the bottle and made BBQ ribs. The wine paired beautifully with the ribs.

This wine sells for $15/bottle and makes a great wine to have on hand for BBQ foods or for heartier winter fare. This wine is a great value and I definitely recommend it. Cornerstone Cellars has yet again produced a solid wine at a great price. This is one I will be buying for the future to have on hand for BBQ fare since it paired so well with my ribs.

This wine, along with all the others I have tasted can be ordered on the Cornerstone Cellars website.

Check out some of my past reviews on Cornerstone’s other wonderful wines:

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Stepping Stone Napa Valley Riesling

2007 Cornerstone Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Stepping Stone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé

2007 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Cornerstone Cellars 2007 Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc

Cheers!

~Monica

*This wine was provided as a media sample for review purposes.

In November, Mollydooker will be hosting Winemaker Dinners in various cities in Southern California. Join me on Monday, November 7th in Huntington Beach, CA for the Orange County Winemaker Dinner. That same week there will also be events in San Diego (Nov. 8th), and Los Angeles (Nov. 9th). For my friends out of the state of California, have no fear, Mollydooker is also hosting Winemaker Dinners in various cities across the country. For more information and to purchase tickets to one of the Mollydooker Winemaker Dinners, please visit the following link:

2011 Winemaker’s Dinners

If you can’t join me on November 7th, please watch out for my tweets, pics, and blog post highligting this very special event. I am very excited for this event and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

Cheers!

~Monica

What is a Sauvignon Blanc, Cuveé Musque you might ask? It is basically Sauvignon Blanc blended with the Sauvignon Blanc Musque clone. Musque is a French term applied to certain varieties or clones of grapes used for making wine. The term is then suffixed to the name of the particular grape variety to indicate a clone with Musque-like properties; in this case the term is suffixed to Sauvignon Blanc, hence Sauvignon Blanc Musque. Musque grapes make a wine highly aromatic.

Cornerstone Cellars gradually fermented their Sauvignon Blanc, Cuveé Musque in stainless steel allowing it powerful and intense aromatics and flavors. In the glass, the wine has a soft straw-like color. Powerful aromatics on the nose of tropical fruits such as pineapple and papaya. Very perfume-like and delightful. On the nose I also got scents of melon and green apple. On the palate I got tropical fruits and a lot of racy acidity and minerals. This wine comes in at 13.5% alcohol and is heavier than most Sauvignon Blancs I am used to and has a lot of heaviness on the palate. I made chicken tacos that evening for dinner and the wine did seem to pair well with the meal.

This is another wine coming out of the price-friendly Stepping Stone series. It retails for $18. It’s definitely different and a variety of Sauvignon Blanc I was not familiar with until tasting this wine. To order this wine or any of Cornerstone Cellars wines, please visit their website.

Check out my past reviews of other Cornerstone Cellars wines:

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Stepping Stone Napa Valley Riesling

2007 Cornerstone Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Cornerstone Cellars 2010 Stepping Stone Corallina Napa Valley Syrah Rosé

2007 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Cornerstone Cellars 2007 Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc

Cheers!

~Monica

* This wine was provided as a media sample for review purposes

Several global headquarters held celebrations in honor of the day. I saw tweets from people celebrating in groups at various restaurants and bars across the country as well as in their own homes. Due to a hectic work schedule, I stayed in and opened up some Cabernets to taste in the comfort of my own home and joined the celebration online. Mark Buckley of Hahn Wines was kind enough to send me some samples of some of the wines from the Hahn family of wines.

2009 Cycles Gladiator California Cabernet Sauvignon: In the glass the wine poured a dark ruby color. On the nose, I got aromas of lush dark fruits, mocha, herbs, and spice. Rich dark fruits and spice encompassed the palate and the wine had a long finish. I found this wine to be adequately balanced and have good acidity. The wine was composed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot. The wine retails for $12 from the winery. For the price, this is a good, approachable wine. This is one you can take to a informal gathering such as a BBQ. It will pair well with a burger or a steak.

2010 Cycles Gladiator Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon: The Wine poured a dark purple color in the glass with cherry dominant on the nose with cola, and hints of herbs. I got a lot of overripe fruits. For me, the wine had no acidity nor balance and felt short on the finish. I was a bit disappointed since this was my first experience with a Lodi Cabernet and was excited to try it. I was expecting a bit more. The composition of the wine was 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 5% Petite Sirah. It has a suggested retail price of $12 from the winery.

2009 Hahn Wines Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine poured a lovely dark purple color in the glass. The nose was powerful with abundant dark fruits, espresso, and a hint of baker’s chocolate. On the palate were flavors of more rich dark fruit, spice, and dark chocolate. The wine is balanced with an adequate finish. It has a retail price of $12 from the winery. This is a basic cabernet and a solid wine for the price. Again, this is one you will want to take to a summer BBQ or informal gathering with friends. It will go great with a burger or steak. The composition of the wine is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot.

As always, I had a great time participating in Cabernet Day. I learned about new wines and had an enjoyable time discussing the wines with my friends and people from all over the world. This event was definitely another success for Rick Bakas and I am excited for the one for next year as well as the other things he has lined up for all his wine-loving friends from around the world. If you have yet to participate in an online event such as this one, I encourage you to do so. They’re not only fun but you get to meet a lot of fellow wine lovers from all over the globe as well as learn about wines that may be new to you.

Salud!

~Monica

* These wines were sent as media samples for review